


Gift Swap

by avengingwinchesterangels



Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-23
Updated: 2015-12-09
Packaged: 2018-04-22 23:55:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4855469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avengingwinchesterangels/pseuds/avengingwinchesterangels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is my take on the prompt that I gave GreenArchitect. John meets Bane on the street one day and decides to give him a gift. they swap gifts back and forth before Bane takes him in and he becomes a member of the new League of Shadows beside Bane and Barsad. they turn from Talia and return to what the League truly was for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GreenArchitect](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreenArchitect/gifts).



> Like I said i gave this prompt to GreenArchitect because it was only supposed to be an OTP thing. I started writing it and it became an OT3 thing. this is my take on the prompt. I hope y'all enjoy.

It was a snowy evening in Gotham City. Bane was out making rounds of the city to keep baser crimes to a minimum. He had been thinking on Talia's plans lately. He didn't like them but he would never admit that to her. He had only gone along with them because she was all he had. That is until he met a certain little bird. 

Standing in the light of one of the last streetlights, looking up watching the snow fall, dressed in a bare minimum to keep warm, was a man. There was a not so innocent look on his face but his posture and aura screamed innocent. Bane had stood at a distance watching him waiting for him to move on. After an hour had passed he came to the conclusion that the man was waiting for something or someone. Finally Bane moved closer. 

“I was starting to wonder if you would show.” the man said before passing Bane something and disappearing down an alley. The sound of a fire escape could be heard. They would never find him on the roofs. Bane looked down at the package he had been given. He laughed when he realized this man had given him books. The mercenaries with Bane cringed at the sound of him laughing but Barsad simply looked curious. 

He went back down to the sewers and started to read before he realized the man had been trying to send him a message. In all the books he had been given no matter how dark there was always light to be found. It became a common sight in the sewers to see Bane barking out orders even as his eyes never left the book in front of his face. Every single book he had devoured all had him thinking there is a better way to do this but Talia has become lost to madness and revenge. 

A week after he had been given the package he made his rounds again. Once more on a different street corner under a still lit streetlight he was there again. This time Bane did not hesitate to approach the man. The man smiled and it did funny things to Bane. He handed him the package and made to disappear but Bane grabbed his arm.

“May I know your name, stranger?” he asked. “I am Robin.” the man said before freeing his arm and disappearing. Bane tucked the package under his jacket where it would be safe from the snow and finished his rounds. This time tucked into the package there was a note. It said simply “Do you see?” 

he used the note as a bookmark even as he once again devoured the books he had been given. It was strange to get an outside opinion like this. It made him realize that he had caused good hardworking people to suffer for all that Talia wanted to punish the upper class. The entire city was suffering but there were those who went above and beyond the call of duty. 

Just the other day Bane had heard a report about a cop who worked day and night to find enough food to keep an orphanage alive. This man's name was John Blake. He was always spending time with the kids between scavenging trips. He always had a treat for the kids. He had given the last blankets he had owned to some of the boys at the orphanage. 

He had given the very shirt off his back to a man who had none. It was men like this who were flourishing simply because it was not themselves they cared about it was others. He would often be found making rounds of the orphanage at night to keep some of the more hungry predators at bay. That was when Bane assigned two men on permanent guard duty. He wanted to ease the burden on this man's shoulders for some reason. 

Once again a week after their last visit he made rounds of the city. Once again Robin was standing on the street corner. This time Bane had a gift of his own to give. Robin gave him his books but once more a hand on his arm stopped him. Bane reached under his jacket and pulled out a package of his own. 

They went their separate ways. Once more the note said “That violence is not always an answer?” he was found nose in a book constantly. He had a book in hand when he went to visit Talia. That had not blown over well. The book had been tucked into his vest like an old friend. That note had been sticking out and marking his place. 

She had thrown a fit when she found out he had been getting gifts from a stranger. She had demanded that he stop seeing this person. That had been a mistake. Bane who is normally a soft spoken person because of his mask actually roared. Talia spun around and Barsad who was standing near the door flinched. “Now that I have your attention. It is a harmless gift. You are dead set on seeing this plan through not realizing it will cost you your life. What am I to do with my life when you are dead? I have protected you your whole life. I can do that no longer. I cannot protect you from yourself. You have destroyed Gotham. Congratulations! Mission complete but you destroyed honest hardworking people in the process. Innocents are suffering because you want to raze Gotham to the ground. Look around you and you will see I am correct. Til we meet again, old friend.” 

bane turned and walked away. Meanwhile in a different part of Gotham a detective is finally warm for the first time in a while. He had given away his last blanket and long sleeved shirt not even days ago. Then he had gotten the rabbit fur blanket and several shirts and a proper coat from Bane of all people. He fell asleep from the warmth but he really needed it since he wasn't walking rounds anymore. He had heard about the two mercs on guard duty. 

The whole book thing had been something of a joke amongst the boys at the orphanage. John took it a step further and gathered up a bunch of old favorites. It surprised him to hear the mercenaries talking about how Bane was always reading these days. He had a whole stack of books to give to Bane. A week after the first hand off John had heard Bane was making rounds again. This time though John slipped a note into the bag. 

He wanted to see Bane's point of view. It didn't help that he was John's type. John never spoke about it at work and it never came up else where. He wasn't living in the closet nobody had ever asked is all it was. John had been working tirelessly since the occupation had begun. He deserved a day of rest. 

So while John was sleeping in Bane had gotten the report that he had not been seen for a while. Bane ordered the men to load a truck with food and personally delivered it to the orphanage. He helped unload it and gave each of the children a treat. Bane gently asked the kids where John was. They said they had not seen him since he had come in yesterday with food. “Do any of you know where he lives currently?” Bane asked. The youngest boy came up and Bane crouched so as not to intimidate him if he wanted answers. 

“he said he lives down on 53rd and main. He lives in an part ment building. He never said where specifically. May I ask why you are looking for him? He don't have any friends and his family's dead. Are you his friend? Will you go make sure he's okay?” he said as he scooted closer to the body heat Bane gave off. When he finished he was practically in Bane's lap. He wrapped his arms around him and said “I want to make sure he's okay. It's not like him to miss a day. I would like to think he considers me a friend.” 

“As soon as I find him I'll come back alright?” he said before he gave the child to an older boy and stood. Bane pulled Barsad aside and gave him the order to find John whatever means necessary. Barsad simply smiled and said “Yes sir.” Bane had his comms device on him if anything went wrong. 

 

When Barsad paged him it was with definite whereabouts of the missing cop. Bane had been lingering around the neighborhood waiting for this information. He climbed a fire escape and found what he was looking for. Buried under the blanket he had been given was the detective sound asleep. Bane smiled at the image but you wouldn't know it. 

Bane hopped down the fire escape and went into the apartment proper. He found John's apartment in a flash. Rather than disturb the obviously tired detective Bane picked the lock. The instant he stepped in he shivered it was freezing in the apartment. After taking a few moments to familiarize himself with everything Bane set about warming the place up. Once the apartment was warmer than it had been Bane stripped before pulling on a pair of shorts.

He slid under the covers with the worn out cop who was still cold. He pulled the smaller man close and felt him burrow into his warmth. After a few moments Bane fell asleep. When he woke it was because John was stirring. Bane would have gotten up but he felt John settle back down. He did not want to disturb him since it had obviously been a while since he had been warm. 

He dozed off but it was not a full sleep like the first time. He woke once more when John started fidgeting in his sleep. He was obviously half conscious and fighting to wake up but the warmth was keeping him under. He continued to hold the man and let him wake in his own time. The surprise in his eyes once he was fully awake would have been comical if not for the fact that he had shoved Bane out of bed. 

Bane would forever deny that had happened should anyone question him or his little bird decides to tease him. “What the fuck are you doing in my apartment?” john said not quite yelling. “I think proper protocol would be thanking me. I saved your life. You were slowly freezing to death. As for why I am here I wanted to ensure you were okay.” was the reply received. 

John thought about that even as he sat in the middle of his bed and wrapped the blanket back around him. Once he was fully covered and slowly warming back up he turned his attention back to his unwanted guest. “why are you so concerned about me?” “my whole life has been lived in shadow. Is it wrong to want some light for myself? You are a beacon of hope to the people of Gotham with your selflessness. Even now you are hope for the people who have nothing in this city. Batman will save the city from me but it is people like you who save others from themselves. Is it wrong to be selfish for once in my life? My whole life has been devoted to one person and an idea. She has been lost and my idea has been reworked. I admit there were better ways to do this. The occupation needed not happen. Forgive me.”

john looked thoughtful as he turned Bane's words over in his mind. “Why does my forgiveness matter to you?” Bane sat on the floor and said “Honestly I believe I want it because you see something in me worth saving. Otherwise you would never have initiated contact. I think I want it because you are the true hero of Gotham. Bruce Wayne is a coward. You skirt my soldiers everyday for others. You go out of your way for people who would just as soon kill you for the coat you wear. You give and give and give until you sit on the edge of life and death. I know you would have rathered freeze to death than the boys go without food.”

john shook his head. “I am not what you say. If that's the case then why am I stuck in a mid level job working selflessly for people who helped you when the uprising happened? I am no hero. Everyone is worth saving but I am no hero.” he said quietly. 

Bane reached out from his place on the floor and gently grabbed John's jaw. “Look at me.” Bane ordered gently when John refused to meet his eyes. John looked up at Bane and he said “Regardless of how you see yourself you have earned the respect of my men. I do not begrudge you a day off. I know that you have worked tirelessly since the beginning of this mess. I came looking for you because in my way I care about you. You have gotten under my skin and left a mark that can be seen by the entire world. I know that you can not love me because you have not loved yourself but I will love enough for the both of us. Barsad is waiting to outfit you. I will not have you freeze or starve to death because of your compassion.”

“I've seen you with Barsad. What is your relationship with him?” john asked hesitantly as Bane let him go and stood from the floor. Bane had turned his back to John as he dressed and said “you are the first to see that there is more than brotherhood between us. We have been waiting for someone like you who is worthy of our love and ideals. Barsad is loyal, cunning, brave but above all he is ours. He knew I was pursuing you because of the need for a third. He knew our relationship would survive a third. He has approved of you and that is rare for him to approve of anything. None know save us and now you.”

john felt honored to be given such a secret but he had known when he started this that Barsad was part of the deal. He had known because he had observed. Watching Bane make his rounds Barsad by his side. Watching them laugh and touch dying to be with them. He knew why Bane was attracted to Barsad.  
Watching him fight was poetry in motion. Watching him walk was grace defined. Watching him stand was silence embodied. Bane on the other hand was so many things that John didn't know where to start. He was confused but hopeful that it would all work out in the end. 

John was beyond frustrated with the way his life was going. He deserved more and he knew it. He knew Bane could kill him without thought but he trusted Bane to be gentle with him. He just knew these things and he did not doubt them for all he had no reason to believe them. To stand between two men and know that they loved unconditionally, without fault, it called to him. To know the heat of a lovers' embrace, to know another body as well as his own, he ached for it. To feel these men who were content with their lot in life stand behind him, warmed his very soul. 

He looked to Bane who was standing before him watching with hooded eyes. “I forgive you.” those simple words made Bane's glacial eyes melt. He knew that it was difficult for John to forgive but it would be better if he went willingly. Bane handed John several clothes and turned away so he could dress. 

John dressed quickly under his blanket not willing to give up his warmth just yet. When he finished he cleared his throat and Bane turned around. He wrapped John in his jacket and the fur blanket off his bed. He picked him up after he had shrugged into his own coat. “We can come back for anything you may want later.” bane said as he left out the front door. 

Before he walked away however he carved a symbol into John's door with the dagger out of his pocket. John looked at him questioningly. Bane did not explain even as he carried John down the stairs. Outside it was so cold it stole john's breath and he was grateful he was wrapped up the way he was. Bane carried John all the way to St. Swithins while barely breaking a sweat. 

Once there Barsad stepped out of the shadows with a look to Bane he understood that John was still figuring out exactly what he wanted. This was a trial period. He took John from Bane and after making sure he was still covered headed for the truck that was idling on the corner. “why aren't you guys cold? I mean I'm practically covered head to toe and still cold. Where did you guys come from if the cold doesn't bother you?” John questioned. 

“We have a camp in the Hindu Kush. It is used mainly for training. As for the cold when you live in the mountains as we do the cold becomes negligible. We have trained our bodies to ignore the cold. You will receive this training as well. Bane is anxious to get out of Gotham.” Barsad told John as he carried him to the truck. 

A minute later they were joined by Bane. The truck started and left in the warmth John fell asleep again. When he woke he was laying on a bed Bane on his left Barsad on his right. Without thought he pulled Barsad closer even as he snuggled deeper into the warmth that Bane offered. He wanted to drift off but mother nature was calling. He buried his head in Bane's chest trying to ignore the pressure on his bladder so he could enjoy the moment.

The telling moment was when he heard Barsad chuckle from behind him. It was then that he realized he was squirming about on the bed trying to get comfortable enough to take the pressure off his bladder. It was only when he felt Bane's chest rumbling that he called no joy and finally got up. When he stepped out of the bathroom John stopped to take in the sight before him. 

Barsad had rolled over into the warm spot John had vacated and Bane was watching him with darkened eyes. As he watched Barsad stretched throwing an arm over Bane's chest. With a small chuckle Bane patted the bed on his other side. John crawled under the covers Bane was holding up with a small sigh. “Normally I would not indulge in such lazy behavior but for some reason I can think of nothing that needs my attention today other than you two.” Bane said as he pulled them both close.

John laid his arm across Bane's chest just below the one already there and ran his hand down Barsad's side. Barsad jumped lightly not enough that you would notice unless you were touching him. Barsad looked up from where he had been buried to glare at John after he had traced the hand on his hip to its owner. John chuckled even as Bane clucked his tongue and said “Now, now, stop being such a tease, little bird.” 

“Who said I was teasing? Maybe I meant it.” John scooted up so he could whisper in Bane's ear just loud enough for Barsad to hear “Maybe I want you both to fuck me until leaving bed is not an option. Maybe just maybe I don't intend for us to leave bed until hunger drives us out. Maybe just maybe I want you to come undone under my touch. Maybe I want to drive you both crazy. I want you to want me so much you can no longer hold back. If I was teasing I would have made plans for today and would not still be here. So you have two choices. I can get out of bed and we can do something productive like training or we can continue to lay here and maybe we all get what we want as soon as your body and mind understand what I am saying. I would give you Gotham on a silver platter if you asked it of me. Did I ever tell you-”

Bane cut him off by flipping the two of them over and pressing his mask into John's face. In Bane's mind it was a parody of a kiss but it shut John up. He pressed his hips down as he said “I understood every word you said. See now the effect they had.” john gasped from under him. Bane turned his head to look at Barsad who was still laying on his side watching the proceedings quietly. “What do you think, Barsad? What should we do today? Take our little bird up on his offer or show him the true workings of the League?” Bane asked. 

“this is a no brainer, Bane. Why ask? You've already made up your mind. What does my opinion matter?” Barsad questioned. Bane reached out and cupped his cheek before saying “It matters because you matter to me. You cared when I was almost lost to the darkness of my pain. You saved me when all I could see was pain. I ask because I want you to want this as well. I would not have brought him here if I felt it would make you uncomfortable. I would not have invited him into our bed if you do not want him here.” 

John wiggled out from underneath Bane who sat up and watched John pounce on his lover. They grappled together for a few moments before John finally pinned Barsad to the bed. He leaned down and whispered in Barsad's ear for a few minutes. Finally he pulled away and as if he was satisfied by what he had seen kissed Barsad hard. The sight before Bane made him shift just a little to settle himself a little more comfortably. 

“if I am not wanted I will leave and let you two continue as you have. However I get the feeling that you are simply insecure as to your hold on Bane. I will not poach another man's territory unless invited. However I will say that I have seen you from afar. You need not worry he will leave you for me. Besides I want you both. My words were for both of you. After watching you together I want to stand beside you equally with him. I will not challenge you for certain things. However there are things you can give me that Bane cannot. I do not mean that he is any less a man but certain needs must be met. I can understand the need for his mask. I can taste the chemicals in the air he breathes so I know that need must be great. I meant what I said. I want to drive you crazy. I want you both to fuck me to the point that moving is not an option. I want to be tangled up with you and him. I want to be nothing more than sweat and limbs and exhaustion. I want to wake up tomorrow and know getting out of bed will not happen. I want you to come undone under my touch. I want you to want me as much as I want you and him. I have wanted you two since I laid eyes on you. You have stood by him faithfully and I will honor that. I remember when I first saw you two together. I knew then I wanted what I could never have. But I am now rambling. Shall we get on with the action?” John had whispered in Barsad's ear. 

That had led to the kiss. They had pulled apart finally to discuss terms when there was a sharp rap at the door. Bane pulled on a shirt before answering the door. “who is in there with you, Bane? You have never denied me access to your rooms before.” was the shrill screech heard from the other side. Barsad pulled John into his chest and whispered in his ear “On the other side is Talia. Bane loves her like a sibling but she has gone too far into madness. Bane will defend us with his life but none know about us except us. Sure the men speculate but we do our best to discourage that sort of thing.” 

they watched as Bane stepped into the hall rather than let Talia into the room. They heard the resounding slap even through the stone. Barsad stood and dressed before sliding out of the room as well. John was starting to worry when suddenly there was yelling before both men came back into the room. “You will have to put her down someday, Bane. The question has become when not if. She has become unstable and is trying to pull you into her madness. I refuse to lose you. She has gone crazy, Bane. What was once righteous is now madness. Forgive me if I am repeating myself but it needs saying, Bane, you know this.” Barsad said quietly by the door where he had stopped Bane.

John slipped out of bed and approached the two men silently. “The fire has risen too high. I have met Talia. She is lost to her revenge. She believes that Bruce Wayne will be the end of her problems. She instigated this. She is responsible for the occupation. Before her Gotham was just a city. Once she came about we lost so much.” he said as he pulled the two men close.


	2. Chapter 2

He pulled them back to bed and said “This is a conversation for another time. I'm cold and hungry.” “We can rectify the first and send a man for the last.” Bane said. He pulled away and stepped outside. John heard him say something to somebody as Barsad led him back to bed. When Bane came back in the other two men had curled back up in bed. 

It was like a punch to the gut for him. He knew he had a difficult choice to make soon. He would have to choose between the person he had guarded most of her life or the two men who had stolen his heart. Would he stand by the men who saved him daily or leave them in the cold for his ideals? Even though he was not a religious man by any means, Bane prayed he made the right choice when it was called for. 

A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. The man he had sent for food had returned. Bane took the food from him and walked over to the bed. John looked up from where he had buried his face in Barsad's shoulder to keep his face warm. He didn't get the chance to say anything because his stomach growled. Bane chucked his shirt and slid into bed behind John after setting the food on the nightstand. 

John scooted over and Barsad slid just as close. This was a moment of truth for Bane and John. Bane because he was going to show weakness to someone he barely knew. John because he could do two things with the knowledge he was about to learn. Bane picked John up bodily and set him between his legs so he had a front row seat to what was about to happen. 

Barsad slid over so he could help Bane take the mask off. Before anybody moved he pinned John with his stare and said “I see what happens next having two outcomes. I hope for the former and fear the latter. Whatever happens promise me this secret goes to your grave unspoken, unwritten and unknown to others.” john nodded but Bane grabbed his jaw and said “Promise me.” in a hard tone of voice. 

“I promise to take this secret to my grave, no matter what happens.” he said staring Bane in the eye to let him know he meant it. Bane let him go and nodded as if satisfied with the answer. Barsad reached behind Bane's head and popped the latch that held the mask in place come hell or high water. He scooted away once he had and let Bane pull the straps over his head. With one last intake of breath Bane pulled the mask off. 

Bane groaned as he was hit with a wave of pain unknown to people who have not suffered from such an injury. Under the mask Bane was covered in scars and barely deformed. He was missing the barest part of his upper lip. If it had to be compared it was almost like someone who had been born with a cleft palate. The difference was the scars that ran around his mouth. 

John knew those scars were the cause of Bane's pain. Under them ran nerves that were constantly firing. What surprised everyone was when John leaned forward and planted a kiss on Bane's bottom lip before smoothing his thumbs over Bane's nose as if he was memorizing this form of Bane's face. John pulled away far enough to say “the scars don't bother me. Jack had them. He had gotten them when he defended me in the attack that killed my father. After that he was adopted by a family and I was left alone because he was trying to save me from some people. He gave up a normal life for me. It's because of me he's in Arkham. He just disappeared one day and never came back. He forgot me but he still remembers me if that makes any sense.” 

Barsad got this calculating look in his eyes. Bane was curious but it was pushed aside while the mask was off. He would only last so long. John turned around in Bane's lap and allowed Bane to pull him close while Barsad crawled over them to grab the tray off the nightstand. Once he had the tray in hand he put it across Bane's lap and leaned against Bane's side once he was back in his spot. 

Unspoken but obvious was the fact that the mask was laying on the bed between the two men. The men ate in silence. Not because there was a lack of conversation material but because they as a group knew that this was a turning point in their fairly new relationship. This moment would define what was to come. It was an exercise of trust. Once they had eaten Bane rushed but didn't rush to put the mask back on. 

Once the mask was on and the three men had settled themselves comfortably together with John in the middle, Barsad asked the obvious question. “Who is Jack and why is he in Arkham?” “This will be a long story. It will take days to tell and it will be painful to me. This story goes back to before I was born with a man named Ras al Ghul. He made a deal with my father's father. My grandfather failed to come through and Ras went after my father who came to Gotham to escape Ras. Before my father my family had a fortune. My father blew it all on different vices. Then he met my mother. He courted as a gentleman but she didn't know his darker side.   
Once they had gotten married my father became a cat of another color. The thing is my mom had Stockholm. She was convinced he was still the same man from before their marriage. When she found out she was pregnant with my brother Jack, she stayed with my father until she started to show. Once she did she left my father and returned to her family as per her customs. My father was furious but calmed when he found out why she had left. He allowed her to have the child as she pleased but she returned to him once Jack was born.   
Jack is three years older than me. When I was just a baby he would take me everywhere to keep me safe from my dad. Well we were both in the car when my mom died in that crash. Jack got hurt trying to save me from the crash. After mom died dad went off the deep end. If we did even the slightest thing wrong we got beat.   
After awhile you start getting angry about the little things. They get to where they piss you off. When dad was still alive, I started to build up a lot of anger simply because I knew even as a child that that was no way to treat your child. Well when I was about eight Jack had finally gotten to take me out for the night. We came home just as the man shot my father. We never saw who it was.   
When Social Services stepped in, Jack was adopted by one of Ras' men. I never saw him after that. He swore to me when he got adopted he was doing it for me. I never knew what happened to him. He found me a few years before the anarchy ten years ago. He stopped by and I cried because the man he had become was no longer my brother.   
He left me out of the chaos because he didn't want me to be involved in what he was doing. After what Bruce did to my brother I have a hard time forgiving him. Ras twisted my brother to unrecognizable. But Bruce hunted him like an animal. He would have killed him if they weren't soul-mates. They are the different sides to the same coin. That's one of the reasons Jack had come back. It's also why Bruce had the chance to kill him and chose instead to have him put in Arkham.   
But Jack was the protective older brother. If anyone ever so much as looked at me wrong he jumped the gun. After mom died he was even worse. I got used to having someone look out for me. At the orphanage I had to learn to care for myself. Nobody took me in because I was an angry child. I had to learn to fake it.   
I had to fake being happy because after a while the understanding and leeway goes away. Nobody knows what to do with an angry child. I was angry at the world for taking everything from me. I am still angry because it gave it all back but took it away just as soon as I could see it. I work because I can't give into the darkness that hides in corners of my mind and behind my eyes.   
I miss Jack before he became what he is today. I go to Arkham sometimes to see him. The things they have done to him are beyond indescribable. I cry for a week straight after every visit. I can tell its only a matter of time before he is truly lost and beyond all help. It doesn't help that Bruce has been an asshole and only visited once in the ten years my brother has been imprisoned.   
Arkham isn't an asylum, it isn't a prison, its hell on earth. I worry about Jack because he's all I have left. He's family and I'm gonna lose him just like I lost Mom and dad. I can't lose him when I just got him back.” 

John choked on his last statement. He was holding back the tears and the other two knew it. Bane pulled John to his chest and Barsad crowded against his back. They held him close and let him cry it out. Bruce, who was already on Bane's shit list moved higher up in his priorities. Holding John close he slipped into sleep. When he woke it was too quiet and cold as well. 

Turning his head to look the bed was empty. The only thing on it was Barsad's boot knife. Knowing what it meant Bane got out of bed and dressed before picking up the knife and following the sound of people gathering in the mess hall. Bane settled in the shadows to avoid detection while he read the situation. The men were crowded around two figures on their knees. Standing in front of the two figures was Talia. 

Bane swore under his breath. This was his choice. He had to decide here and now. Would he choose her and certain death or them and a chance at a slightly better future?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea where this is going. all I know is several characters from the movies will make an appearance.


	3. Chapter 3

Bane was forced to make a choice when two men stepped forward assault rifles raised. Bane was too far away to hear what Talia was saying but he stepped forward quietly to see what was going on. That's when he saw John lunge from his place on his knees. John lunged and Talia, who had her back turned to him, hit the ground. There was a flash of light on metal before the sound of a scream. 

Bane stepped through the men, no longer bothering to hide his presence. Once he reached the edge of the circle he saw how the fight had ended before it began. John had pinned Talia to the floor with the knife while it was still at her throat. It was slowly choking her while keeping her pinned. She couldn't move without accidentally slitting her own throat. John was sitting on her back with her arms laying under his knees. Calm as you please he sat there watching the men watch him. 

He had already proven he was unpredictable. Bane stepped from his place and slowly clapped. “Well done, little bird. It's not everyday Ras Al Ghul's daughter gets taken down by one with little to no training.” he said sardonically. “Bane, you must help me up. The intruders must be dealt with. They have no loyalty to the cause.” Talia pleaded from her place under John. 

“Now, this is where it gets interesting. Want to know why?” Bane said as he crouched in front of Talia. She slowly nodded wary of the knife. “Their only loyalty is to me. They were not intruding on anything. If anything you were the intruder. They had an open invitation to be where they were. Just earlier I denied you entrance to that very place and with good reason. The thing I am most curious about is why you even entered my rooms when you knew I was there and had given you explicit permission that it was off limits. Why come in my rooms and kidnap my guests when you could obviously tell I was sleeping? That is my only question. WHY?” 

Talia whimpered at the last word. Bane held out his hand and Talia strained to get her hand free but John reached out and took it. To balance as Bane helped him up he grabbed the knife. It canted dangerously close to Talia's neck before coming out of the wood underneath it. Keeping John close, Bane helped Barsad stand. They watched Talia sit up and flex her hands before rubbing her neck. 

Bane heard and felt more than saw John grip the knife, flex his hand then spin the knife to find a better grip. Other than that John didn't move. There was a momentary stand off before Bane stepped forward and said “You never did answer the question.” Talia looked down at the ground for a moment before looking up. 

“I cannot stand the thought of you with another. You have been there my whole life. To see you with anyone else tears me to shreds, Bane. You swore long ago in the pit that you would protect me. Instead I find you in bed with two other men. What would my father think if he was still alive?” she said before Bane interrupted her.

“That's just it though. He's not alive. He got himself killed by Bruce Wayne in the name of a mission we have carried on. We have been waiting for the opportune moment to strike. We have. It is now time to leave and let Gotham die in the wake of what we have done.” 

Bane reached back to John who handed him the knife. “Forgive me. You have gone to far and I cannot allow this to go on.” Bane said as he mimicked John's earlier action. Bane stepped forward and then hesitated. “You have betrayed the League. You know the consequences to your actions.” 

all Talia did was nod once. Bane took another step forward and hesitated again. Finally John stepped up next to Bane and put a hand on his shoulder. Bane turned to John, fell to his knees and pressed his face into John's stomach. John reached down and grabbed the knife out of Bane's unresisting hand. Without looking and with an accuracy that had most of the men jealous John threw the knife at Talia. 

The choice had been made and carried through even if it had not been by Bane's hand.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am uploading this earlier than planned for today because i got off of work early. to JokersQueenofHearts I lied. this is early.

Barsad and John helped Bane back to the bedroom. Once there they pulled his boots off before allowing him to lay down. The three men curled into each other before speaking quietly about plans that needed making. After a time they quieted before falling asleep once more. Two days later Bane fought Bruce Wayne. John and Barsad watched him smuggle Bruce out of the city and to the pit. 

Even while in a coma Bruce mumbled about Jack. He wanted to repent but to do that he had to be face to face and had not seen Jack in over eight years. Bane watched him while they were on the plane headed to his home country. This man would pay for the crimes he had committed against John and his brother. 

Bane left him in the pit with these final words “You have harmed those closest to me and shall pay the price. You hunted your own soul mate like a dog. You turned your back when mine reached out to you, Bruce. I want you to think on everything you have done to Blake and his family. I've had forgiveness. When will you find yours?” 

Bruce thought about those words in the pit. For months while he recuperated he thought about them. He learned the story of a child born in the pit. He knew what he had done to be put here but he thought it was overkill. He wanted so badly to repent to his soul mate, to apologize. He knew that the madness that lived in his soul mate could be fixed if he had the proper tools. 

What had Bane done to earn his soul mate's forgiveness? Bruce trained and toned and fought to survive in the pit. In the pit he not only survived, he thrived. Time and again he tried the jump and time and again he failed. Finally though he understood what he needed to do to get out. 

When he finally got out and returned to Gotham, winter had tightened its hold on the city. What surprised Bruce though was the fact that while he had been gone Arkham had been raided. Only one person was missing. It was a knife to the chest for Bruce to admit to himself that he wished he had visited more. It was a knife because now he could never earn forgiveness from Jack. 

Back in Gotham Barsad and John are making plans to get Jack out of Arkham. They speak to Bane every night via satellite phone. They waited until Bane was back to make their move at Arkham. John told them the rest of his story as they lay in bed the night before the raid. 

“I remember when I was little Jack always took my beating when I messed up. He did everything to protect me. When Dad came to Gotham he went to the Wayne family to see if he could get help and protection from them. They turned him away after they took the idea he had. They sold the idea under their name and never gave my father his due. If they had given my father his due I would not have grown up broke.   
Wayne made a fortune off my father's idea. To think that I have been beholden to Wayne my whole life infuriates me. I want my pound of flesh but I also know Jack would kill me for harming Bruce. Jack is the possessive type that is why watching him get adopted was so hard. I went from having someone who was always after me to being left on my own.   
While I was in the orphanage I learned to free run. From there I learned a lot of other questionable things that I don't talk about. As a matter of fact I was only twelve when I committed my first murder. I murdered the older boy who thought he could use me as he pleased. It only added to the darkness behind my eyes and in my bones. After that they backed off but never stopped with the taunting and the verbal degradation. They refused to go after me physically like that but that didn't stop them from beating the shit out of me when they had the chance.   
I can't count the times I went to school with broken or bruised ribs that I had stolen something so I could wrap them. Nobody ever said anything about the abuse but that didn't stop my foster families from telling me I had no right to be so angry. You know I only wanted to live like all the other children. I only wanted to be a happy family like I had seen so many times.”

“Let me tell you a story little bird.” Bane's voice rumbled from behind John who had buried his face in the pillow below him. “I was born right outside a prison far below the earth. After my birth killed my mother my father left me with the village witch because he could not care for me. I grew up just as ostracized as you. I had to deal with the things you did. I understand the anger you speak of. I was eight when I killed the village leader's son for attempting to rape the woman I called mother. I was considered a bad seed and thrown into the prison for standing up for her.   
I watched as the woman I considered my mother was murdered and left to rot before I was thrown in. I was only a teen when Talia's mother was thrown into the pit. I watched her grow and tried to teach and protect her in a prison where such innocence would be snuffed like a candle in the wind. After what happened to Talia's mother I helped her to escape the pit only to be overpowered by the men of the prison.   
They beat me and did such damage that I cannot speak of it. Only after the prison doctor attempted to fix me did Talia bring back help. I was near dead when Ras Al Ghul found me. He had doctors and healers brought in but they could do nothing for me but design the mask that I now wear. I was old before I saw sunlight again for the first time. I joined the League because I had no choice if I wanted to keep Talia safe. In that prison below the earth I gave into the anger and darkness in my mind.   
That was what got me thrown out of the League eventually. Barsad remembers, don't you?” Bane asked his lover who leaned over the quiet John and kissed just below his eye only to say “I remember and it tore me apart to stay behind when you needed me most.”

Barsad settled back into John's hold and let Bane continue his story. “I wandered for many years as an assassin who never failed at any job. Eventually Talia approached me after Ras had been killed in Gotham. She invited me back to the League to finish her father's work for Gotham. I regret that her life had to end that way but she would not have allowed me peace if she had continued to live. I am forever grateful that you two are a part of my life. Once we have Jack and Bruce together we leave for the Kush I want to be far from Gotham in the next few weeks.” 

john only nodded and snuggled closer to Bane who gave off body heat like a space heater. Bane simply chuckled and pulled both men closer.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have made SPN references. Can anybody point them all out in this chapter?? I didn't realize it til I was fixing to post that I had made the reference. there is also a movie reference. keep your eyes peeled.

The next morning the men roused themselves and got ready to go to Arkham. Once there John signed in at the front desk before leading the two men back to Jack's room. Once they were outside his room, John stopped and pressed his forehead against the wall and took a deep breath. Once he had steeled his nerves he opened the door. “Here's Johnny.” the two men in the hall heard. 

“Hello, Jack. How's hell been?” Bane looked at Barsad and arched an eyebrow. Barsad simply shrugged. “Hell is Hell. It hardly changes, you know, little brother. It's not polite to make the guests wait outside. Why don't you bring in your two friends and we can discuss me leaving this place, hmm?” Jack said. 

John shook his head and poked his head out the open door. Bane and Barsad stepped forward together and entered the room. They took up a place behind John as he spoke to his brother. They stared when they finally put two and two together. There was a quick conversation in a glance before they caught the tail end of something. “- protection from Bruce and we get you out of here.” 

the two men startled before they looked the Joker over. The green in his hair was gone. It was a dirty blond. There was no grease paint on his face but the bruises on his face made the scars stand out even more. The straight jacket was to keep him from murdering the orderlies. He had murdered five in the eight years he had been there. Bane handed John the knife and he cut the sleeves of the jacket. 

Jack stood from where he had been sitting before pulling the jacket off. “I hope you brought me a jacket. It's damn cold outside. I am not dying before I get my pound of flesh from him.” John reached into the bag he had and pulled out the spare jacket he had brought. “We'll get you outfitted better once we get back to base.” “Deal.” Jack said as he pulled on the lambskin and leather jacket. 

They walked out into the hallway and were almost out the door when an orderly realized that Jack was out of his room. The four men stepped up the pace and were at the main gate when they got stopped. Without thinking or looking John threw the knife in his hand at the guard. They ran for the truck and got in. Bane drove like a bat out of hell to get away from Arkham. John threw a blanket over Jack's head and pushed him into the floorboard. “Stay down and stay quiet to stay alive.” he said as the guards started firing. Finally they were out of range. 

They made it back to the sewers in one piece. Even with the jacket Jack was still cold so he got out of the truck still wrapped in the blanket. Not to mention it had been a long time since he had felt something other than asylum issued fabrics. He missed the silk and satin he used to wear. Whatever happened to his plan to seduce his soul mate. That went out the window when he had gotten adopted. 

The things he had been through and seen and done. He wished that he could make it go away. All the people he wanted to save and failed to do so. All the brainwashing he'd had to endure because of who had gotten him. All he wanted to do was protect his little brother. It was hard for him to wrap his head around the fact that his little brother, the one he had taught to throw knives, was sleeping with the head of the League, the people who had made Jack crazy. 

Jack was in denial about it but following them through the sewers only cemented the fact that if they weren't sleeping together then they would be soon. He caught snippets of conversation but nothing concrete and it drove him up the wall to not know what was going on. The three men led him into the kitchen area, and after shoving a bowl of stew in his hands and plunking him down at the table, forced him to eat. 

Once he was full he leaned back and watched the three men interact. Bane was leaning against the wall by the door arms crossed over his chest. He was keeping people from entering the room. Barsad and John had taken up seats together and were having a staring contest with Bane. What made Jack raise an eyebrow was when Barsad stood, kissed Bane's mask and walked out the door. “I know you have questions and we have answers. So ask away.” John said.

“The first question I have is who they are and what is their relationship to you?” Jack said right away. “Bane is the one standing by the door. Barsad is the one who just left to go train recruits. These two men are my soul-mates and head of the League of Shadows.” John retaliated. “Perhaps it is hard for you to believe we love your brother but quite honestly we have waited a long time for him.” Bane said in the quiet that followed. 

“Your own has harmed you and done you no favors. Because we have found our third we are content with life. We would like to give you the chance to work things out with yours. In a week's time we will kidnap Bruce Wayne and then head for our base camp. Gotham will die in the fire we leave behind.” Bane explained softly. 

Bane turned and left the room then. He let the brothers have some bonding time to talk about whatever it was they spoke of. John knew where everything was and could get Jack some clothing and blankets and a room. Bane found Barsad in the dojo teaching a group of children self defense. He stepped into the room and stayed by the door so he didn't distract anybody. 

That plan was shot to shit when a teenager saw him standing by the door and pointed him out to Barsad. Bane gave a minute shake of his head when Barsad turned his way while saying “Just in time. I need a partner for a practical demonstration.” bane pushed off the wall and approached Barsad like a jungle cat stalking prey. The kids gathered around in a big circle after Barsad marked the line with chalk. 

“For your own safety do not step in the circle. For his safety I will not be aiming for the mask. For my safety well I have my safe word. The fight will only last ten minutes.” Barsad told the munchkins as he drew the circle. Once he was done he and I took up place on opposite sides. 

For ceremony's sake we bowed to each other before the fight began. As soon as I came out of the bow I moved for first strike. Barsad beat me to it though by ducking my shot and aiming for my unprotected ribs. It was a rookie mistake and we both knew it. I got back at him by throwing my leg around and hitting him across the torso, throwing him back a few feet. He slid to a stop and looked up from where he was crouched on the ground. 

The look in his eyes let me know that the game was on and this would end only one way. I smiled behind the mask and he saw it in my eyes that I was all for the outcome. He smirked and launched himself off the floor. I caught him before he could make impact and twirled before throwing him again. “You guys can do better than that. Where's the show?” we both spun when we heard John speak. 

He was standing in pretty much the same spot I was before this fight started. He was leaning against the wall beside Jack. “I saw the footage from the stock exchange and was there when you fought with Selina and Bruce. You can do better. Stop trying to not do harm and actually fight. I'll patch you up when you finish.” he said before he leaned over and said something to Jack. 

We turned back to each other and shrugged before upping the whole thing. If he wanted a true fight then he would get one. Who were we to deny him what he wanted? All the skills that we kept under lock and key were pulled to the fore. Within moments we were grappling on the ground trying to get the upper hand. I heard the crack when Barsad got an arm free and swung at my ribs. I felt my ribs shift but pushed the pain away long enough to get him in a head lock that would cause him to pass out if held long enough. 

I held it til I felt him tap on my forearm just before he passed out. I let him go and stood before offering him my hand. He accepted so I pulled him to his feet and approached John as Barsad dismissed the students he had been teaching. He walked over once he was done and leaned against me as I spoke with Jack about one of the moves Barsad had used on me. I wrapped an arm around his waist and he winced when I brushed his shoulder. 

That's how I knew I had pulled a muscle in his shoulder. “We've fought and trained together so much we know the other's fighting style intimately. Not to mention when I first joined I was not in the best of shape mentally. The training put me in the right frame of mind. It allowed me to deal with my issues.” Barsad explained to one of the children who had asked why the fight had gone the way it had. 

I had heard his answer absent minded because my ribs were starting to throb. The tipping point was when Barsad elbowed me to get my attention. That was a mistake and he knew it when I huffed through the mask. I brought myself back to earth and let John lead me from the room. Once we were in the bedroom he helped me pull off the body armor I was wearing.

Once I was in nothing more than cargo pants he pushed me onto the bed before going for medical supplies. He came back dragging Barsad and after stripping him pushed him on to the bed beside me. John set the supplies on the bedside table and approached us. He circled around the bed and climbed onto it behind us. I felt his hands run over my back and chest while I suppressed the urge to whine in pain. 

“I don't think they're broken. Mostly cracked. I would recommend binding them to keep them from shifting and doing more damage. Your body armor helped keep them aligned.” John said, reaching for the compression bandage on the nightstand. He also grabbed a can of salve as well. 

“It's my grandmother's recipe. It will help with the bruising and pain. It was one of the few things she ever passed on to me.” he said as he smeared it on my back and chest. He started wrapping my chest once he had completely covered it in salve. He finished and was tying the final knot as I inhaled deep. I felt the pressure and my ribs give just a little before exhaling and feeling it all settle. 

Once he was done he pulled back and asked “Not too tight?” I shook my head no. “It's perfect.” I told him as he turned to Barsad who was cradling his left arm across his chest. He pushed Barsad onto the bed face down and straddled him while pinning his left arm next to him. He started to massage his back but his main focus was the injured shoulder. He was using that salve again. Once Barsad was nothing but a spineless pile of goo on the bed, he wrangled him into a sitting position and bound his shoulder 

Barsad simply sank back into the bed once he was done.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this has gotten out of hand. i didnt plan most of this chapter. it just happened. my laptop is on the fritz so it may be a while til the next update.

I chuckled to see him so limp laying on the bed next to me. He mustered the energy to raise his head just to glare at me before he winced in pain and put his head back down. This time John chuckled before laying down next to Barsad. Next thing I know Barsad is out like a light and I'm slowly falling asleep sitting on the edge of the bed. John chuckled again before pushing me down on the bed next to Barsad. 

I saw him walk out of the room as I slowly succumbed to whatever it was he used. When I finally regained consciousness Barsad was whimpering in pain beside me. I shook off the fog that was clouding my mind from years of experience. I sat up and saw that Barsad was laying on his bound shoulder shoved as close to me as possible. I had no idea what time it was or how long I had been out but I reached down and scooped Barsad against my chest so that his injured shoulder was away from me. 

He let out a moan of relief to be off his shoulder. He was slowly coming around. That's when I realized my chest didn't hurt. I can only imagine how Barsad felt after sleeping on his shoulder. Almost as if he had been called John walked into the room. I looked up from Barsad to John. “Did he sleep on his shoulder?” I nodded and John reached out to rub some of the tension out of his shoulder. 

Barsad finally came around just to croak “What the fuck did you do to us? I remember the fight and you taking care of us but nothing after that.” I mentally echoed his sentiments. “I told you that was a recipe my grandmother gave me. Well on my mother's side of the family she was a witch. She gave me that recipe because it didn't use magic other than those of good fingers. It has a calming ingredient plus a sedative so you actually don't move too much until you heal up enough. You've been out for a good ten hours.” was the explanation received. 

I was tempted not to believe him but I felt too good for it not to have been true. “all the ingredients for it were in the kitchen. Jack helped me make that batch and he's more in tune with his magic than I am. His magic is different from mine in that he's good with explosive and gasoline. Mine manifests in my fighting skills and my enhanced senses along with my free running ability.” he continued to explain. 

“the only time I am truly in sync with my magic is when I truly need it. Like the escape from Arkham. The fact that we didn't get shot was my magic reacting to the need. All humans have magic but it's something that has long since been forgotten. You two ground my magic so that it doesn't get out of control or make me crazy.” he finished. 

I simply arched an eyebrow because I had grown up in a distant tribe where magic still existed.


End file.
